Cycling: 'Weapon' fails to fire

Controversial comeback cyclist Anthony Peden believes he can medal in Melbourne; whether he gets there or not is another matter after finishing second in the keirin last night.

Peden, who missed the Athens Olympics in 2004 when he realised he was going to test positive for an in-competition banned substance, is making a belated bid to win a place in the keirin for Melbourne. He performed a one-off 'flying 200' in front of national track coach Terry Gyde in Wanganui yesterday but failed to make the qualifying time.

Peden made it clear he thought it was 10 days too early in his build-up for a 200 but nevertheless Gyde was hoping to see the Australian-born-and-based rider clock around 10.7s.

It put extra pressure on Peden, nicknamed Weapon, to win the national keirin title. The feeling among the selectors was that if he couldn't win against the field he was up against last night, he was no chance for Melbourne.

It's fair to say Peden didn't quite see it the same way. With continued improvement after starting from scratch two months ago, Peden believes he is an honest chance of a medal in the keirin, even with the probable presence of Australian double Olympic gold medallist Ryan Bayley.

"We've got great respect for each other but Ryan knows, head-to-head, I've probably got more on him in keirin racing.

"Unfortunately I've never raced him at a worlds and I didn't get to the line in Athens and if I did I can't say I'd have matched him. He was just in great form. But from what I've seen of him so far he's nowhere near that same rider."

Peden nearly didn't make it through the semis, finishing in the third and final qualifying position and a mere tyre width in front of the fourth-place finisher. In the final however, he showed improved form and finished second behind Otago rider Nathan Seddon, a man he trains at Newcastle. Seddon was the subject of an inquiry in his semifinal, with Auckland rider Justin Grace claiming he took his line.

Peden's late decision to try to qualify was in part due to a boat.

"I had Melbourne in mind even before Athens," Peden said. "Some of the New Zealand coaching staff knew that. But I've had a big project in my profession as a boat builder that's taken a lot longer than expected. It was meant to be over by August so preparation has been a bit limited. To be fair, in September and October I didn't think it was going to be feasible because I still had my head down in that project."

Peden was building a 12.5m ocean racing yacht in Newcastle, north of Sydney. When he'd finished the bulk of the boat he decided to put himself through a "short and very rigorous" training programme to see what form he could get to in limited time.

Peden has raced well on short preparation before. He had a back operation nine weeks before the 2004 Oceania tracks champs and rode a 10.63s lap.

"I don't believe I'm quite as strong as that at the moment but I am a little bit lighter and you never know."

Peden wouldn't win anything at the Commonwealth Games were they held tomorrow but he hopes that the progress he's made in such a short time will convince the selectors he is worth investing in again.

"Where I need to get to is medal-winning [form]. I'm not interested in going if I can't be part of that. I have been on enough teams over the past 14 years just to participate. As much as the camaraderie and team morale is great, if I'm going to go to another Games I want to be out there on the line knowing I've done the work to give me the same chance as [everyone]."

The fact the keirin is a one-day event played a big part in Peden's decision to throw his chips in (plus the fact his wife Tristan told him he was like a "bear with a sore tooth when I'm not riding"). The heat is in the morning before a semifinal and final in the evening session. The one-hit nature of the event suits a short build-up better than the sprint, which is over multiple days.

"To sprint over two to three days you need a great foundation, otherwise your form drops off and on."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY